S1: Hello friends. Welcome to Open Line with doctor Michael Ray Dolnick.
S1: My name is Michael Ray Dolnick. I'm the academic dean
S1: and professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute.
S1: It's time for our Bible study across America. We're here together,
S1: sitting around the radio kitchen table, and we want to
S1: talk about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. If
S1: you have a question about what the scriptures mean, if
S1: you have a question about the Lord, if you have
S1: a question, and I'll do my best to answer that,
S1: like I'm not his spokesman, but but I'll do my
S1: best to explain what scriptures say about God and his
S1: character and his actions. And then also, if you have
S1: a question about your walk with the Lord, give me
S1: a call. The phone number here is And 5483675. Let
S1: me give that to you again. You might want to
S1: write it down. (877) 548-3675. People often wonder, how do I
S1: get through to open line? Best way to do that
S1: is to call early. (877) 548-3675. Tricia McMillan is in the
S1: producer's chair to hear is helping out. Omar Mendoza is
S1: our tech guy today, and tiara is answering the phones. Again,
S1: phone number (877) 548-3675. Time to go. Get yourself a cup
S1: of coffee and get your Bible out, because we're about
S1: to study the scriptures together. But I did want to say,
S1: first of all, I'm feeling a real sense of loss today.
S1: Someone I loved very dearly died this past week. In fact,
S1: just yesterday I learned that 1968 Moody alumna. Moody Bible
S1: Institute graduate Arleen Rigney went home to be with the Lord.
S1: Let me tell you just a bit about her ministry
S1: in my life. When I came to faith, my dad
S1: decided he couldn't have anything to do with me again. Uh,
S1: his the loss and pain that he experienced at the
S1: hands of the Nazis. Uh, and then also the idea
S1: that he thought the Nazis were all Christians. My coming
S1: to faith in Jesus just turned his heart away from
S1: me and didn't want anything to do with me. Of course,
S1: I was an adolescent and needed dad. And there was
S1: this guy, Dan Rigney, serving in Jewish ministry. A moody
S1: album from 1968. He had prayed for me to come
S1: to know the Lord. He had discipled. He. Then he
S1: immediately started to disciple me and teach me how to
S1: walk with the Lord. Uh, he became a surrogate dad
S1: to me. He became my replacement when I skipped French
S1: class in high school, he was the one that called
S1: me up and and and really gave it to me. Uh,
S1: that he took me out on trips, we went camping.
S1: We did all sorts of stuff that, uh, that was
S1: very special. But of course, he he's married, didn't have
S1: any kids, but he and his wife, Arlene loved me.
S1: And they they cared for me. Arlene loved me just
S1: like a mom. I spent countless hours at their home
S1: in Baltimore, taking down the Greyhound bus from Brooklyn, going
S1: to Baltimore and hanging on, hanging out with them, spending
S1: weekends there. They are the ones that really encouraged me
S1: to go to Moody Bible Institute. I was thinking about
S1: I'd go to school in the New York area, but no, no,
S1: you've got to go to Moody. You've got to major
S1: in Jewish studies. They cheered me on anything I ever
S1: did in ministry, they were celebrating. And for years and years.
S1: I just can't tell you all these years how close
S1: I have been with Dan and Arlene. Well, Dan went
S1: home to be with the Lord 14 years ago. And
S1: just yesterday, Arlene joined him in heaven. She was a
S1: long time worker in Jewish ministry. And not just me.
S1: She adopted many young Messianic Jewish teens she built into
S1: their lives. She led several of my friends who were
S1: teenagers who came to the Lord. She led their moms
S1: to the Lord. I just think, uh, she had a
S1: marvelous ministry for many, many years. I know that now
S1: that she is, uh, entered heaven, she. The first words
S1: she heard were well done, good and faithful servant. But
S1: here's the verse of Scripture that I often think of
S1: when I think of the rigney's. This is what Mark
S1: chapter ten, verses 29 through 31 say says, I assure you,
S1: Jesus said, there is no one who has left house,
S1: or brother or sisters, or mother or father or children
S1: or fields because of me. And the good news, who
S1: will not receive a hundred times more now at this
S1: time houses brothers, sisters, mothers and children, and fields with
S1: persecutions and eternal life in the age to come. But
S1: many who are first will be last and the last first.
S1: That's Mark 1029 through 31. Here's what struck me is
S1: the Lord just promised eternal life to anyone who turns
S1: their lives over to him, and I am grateful for that.
S1: But he also promised to provide not just materially, but also, uh, relationally. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,
S1: those that we need in this life. And that's what
S1: he did for me. My dad wanted nothing. He wanted
S1: nothing to do with me in this life. But the
S1: Lord provided Dan. When my mom passed away, when I
S1: was still a young adult, the Lord had already given
S1: me Arlene. The Lord's promise proved true not just the
S1: promise of eternal life, but the promise of caring for
S1: me relationally in this life. The Lord gave a dad
S1: and a mom to me in this life, and I'm
S1: grateful to him for the lives of Dan and Arlene Rigney.
S1: And I'm sure so are many other young people to
S1: whom they ministered. Well, we're going to go to the
S1: phones in just a moment. I did want to mention
S1: our current resource here at Openline. You know, a lot
S1: of people wonder about Paul's letters to Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
S1: and Colossians. There they're filled with timeless wisdom for the church.
S1: But sometimes we need a little help unpacking their deep truths.
S1: And that's where the Moody Bible Commentary excerpt comes in.
S1: This is a trusted resource, the Moody Bible Commentary that
S1: I had the great privilege of working on. Uh, there's
S1: some terrific writers from the Moody Bible Institute faculty that
S1: wrote in it, and this offers this little excerpt that's
S1: being offered now offers clear explanations of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
S1: and Colossians. Whether you're preparing a lesson for a Sunday
S1: school class or a home group discussion, or just want
S1: some deeper understanding for your own time in the word,
S1: this little excerpt from the Moody Bible Commentary will enrich
S1: your study of these books and God's Word. When you
S1: give a gift of any size, we want to say
S1: thank you by sending you Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.
S1: Excerpt from the Moody Bible Commentary. Call 8886447122688886447122 or or.
S1: Visit openline radio.org for your opportunity to give a gift
S1: so we can say thank you and send you this
S1: great resource. Uh, we're going to talk with Roger in Youngstown,
S1: Ohio right now listening on Wkjf. Welcome to Open Line. Roger.
S1: How can I help you God.
S2: God bless you, doctor. And I'm so sorry for your loss.
S2: I really am, and I hope the Lord comforts you
S2: in this time of your loss.
S1: Thank you. You know, I do want to say this.
S1: We don't grieve as those who have no hope. I
S1: am confident to see Dan and Arlene, uh, again. And,
S1: you know, she she was at an age that I
S1: think she would rather have the rapture happen, but she's
S1: she's happy, I think, now to be with the Lord. So.
S1: But thank you for your kind words. Appreciate it.
S2: You're very welcome, sir.
S1: Go ahead.
S2: My my question comes from Mark chapter four, verse nine.
S2: Now I think I know the answer, but I want
S2: to know what you think. Uh, I have to set
S2: this up the right way. In verse 38, the disciples
S2: come to Jesus and they awake him and said to him, teacher,
S2: do you not care that we are perishing? Then in
S2: verse 39, the target verse, sir. Then he arose and
S2: rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, peace, be still.
S2: Here's my question. Why is the piece from the new
S2: King James Version as well as the new American Standard
S2: version capitalized.
S1: Because it's a new sentence. That's how you do a quotation.
S1: You have the the sentence that the speaker is saying,
S1: this is just English grammar. Uh, he said to the wind,
S1: and then you have a comma and then you have
S1: the quotation. The actual words are peace or silence. Yeah.
S1: And then exclamation point and then a new sentence, be
S1: still so that the, the word be has a capital B.
S1: And then there's the either a period or exclamation point
S1: and the, the, the close quotation. That's all. It's just
S1: English grammar.
S2: Okay, okay. Because someone told me that and that's what
S2: I thought. It kind of I thought it was someone.
S2: I heard someone mention that it was Jesus spoke to
S2: the wind as though it was a person. And that's why.
S2: And I struggled with that. I really struggled with that.
S1: But I think your friend, your friend who told that
S1: made a mistake. It's just English grammar. Okay. Okay. You
S1: know what? I think we should read the Bible. Let
S1: me just say this, Roger. We should read the Bible
S1: very carefully. Observe the details. But sometimes we can go overboard,
S1: you know? And so make sure when we when we
S1: read it, to read it for what it really means
S1: and not with, with trying to create things like that. So.
S1: But you were right, Roger. Your friend was reading too
S1: much into it.
S2: That's what I thought. God bless you, sir, and have
S2: a great day and thank you for your response. Great.
S1: Thanks for your call, Roger. Appreciate it. We're going to
S1: take a break here. And when we come back, we're
S1: going to there's a whole bunch of calls coming in now,
S1: but there's still a couple of spots open. You might
S1: want to try it. (877) 548-3675. We'll answer your question in
S1: just a moment. Uh, This is the time to call
S1: to get all these calls in, and we'll try and
S1: do as many, take as many as we can, and
S1: answer as many questions as we can. My name is
S1: Michael Ray Dolnick. This is open line. Stay with us.
S1: We'll be right back with more Bible study across America.
S1: And we're back. I'm Michael Ray Dolnick. This is open
S1: line on Moody Radio. We're taking your questions about the Bible, God,
S1: and the spiritual life. I do want to mention that
S1: last Saturday, of course, we had a pre-recorded program. It
S1: was mostly about anti-Semitism. I want to thank my guest, uh,
S1: doctor Don Sweeting, chancellor of Colorado Christian University, and also
S1: the numerous people that were here for the summit that
S1: joined me last week as well. Last week we had
S1: the summit opposing anti-Semitism. It turned out to be a
S1: phenomenal event. I'm grateful to. Chosen People Ministries for partnering
S1: with Moody Bible Institute, and especially for all the people
S1: that came and joined us right here on the campus
S1: of Moody. It was a terrific time. There was also
S1: a special event that happened within the special event. That
S1: was the founding of of a Coalition Against anti-Semitism. I
S1: had the great privilege of being the first signatory of
S1: that group, the Coalition Against anti-Semitism. If you'd like to
S1: know more about the coalition, you can go to oppose anti-Semitism.
S1: That's just as one word. No space to oppose anti-Semitism
S1: dot com. And you'll see there about the resources that
S1: the Coalition Against anti-Semitism will provide. Now, uh, the thing
S1: that struck me most when I was there last week
S1: is how many people came up to me as I
S1: walked around in the Commons at Moody Bible Institute when
S1: we were having getting ready for lunch or dinner, and
S1: I was in there with all these people and they
S1: would say, I'm a kitchen table partner. I came from Cleveland,
S1: I came from Florida, I came from Indianapolis, I came
S1: from Spokane. All these places where there are people who
S1: were listening all over the country to open line for
S1: our Bible study across America. And they not only listen,
S1: but they partner with us. They are part of the team.
S1: And I was so glad to meet all those wonderful people.
S1: And what they have done is they've made a commitment.
S1: They say, I'd like to see this program on every week,
S1: so I'm going to give every month. And if you do,
S1: if that's something you're interested in doing, something that if
S1: this program has meant something to you, if it's helped
S1: you in your walk with the Lord, then, uh, I,
S1: I think that becoming a kitchen table partner would be
S1: really greatly appreciated. The way to do that is to
S1: go to 87888888. Let me get that number right. 88864471228886447122.
S1: Or go to open line radio.org. You can become a
S1: kitchen table partner. One of the things that we'll do
S1: for you if you do that is every other week
S1: you'll get a Bible study moment in your email. You
S1: can click on it and listen to it. Eve and
S1: I are doing a little series right now about, uh,
S1: because of the summit about alleged anti-Semitism in the New Testament,
S1: showing how the New Testament is not anti-Semitic. Uh, so again,
S1: (888) 644-7122 or go to open line radio.org and you too
S1: can become a kitchen table partner. And for all of
S1: you who have, thank you so much. We're going to
S1: talk to Catherine in Naperville listening on Wmbi. Welcome to
S1: Open Line. Catherine. How can I help you?
S3: Hey, there. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you for taking
S3: my call. I had a question. I was listening to
S3: a lecture recently where the person speaking at the Bible
S3: study referred to pride as the greatest sin. And I
S3: am curious as to one of that truth. And two,
S3: if it is truth. Where? What verses support that, please?
S1: Well, I would like to know too. I don't I
S1: can't think of any verse that says that that pride
S1: is the, the greatest sin. You know, I'm just not
S1: aware of any verse that says that, you know, there
S1: are really serious sins. I think the greatest sin is
S1: unbelief and not trusting God. That's that seems to me, uh,
S1: or not even believing in God. You know what it
S1: says in, uh, uh, in Scripture? For the fool has
S1: said in his high, uh, heart that, uh, uh, that
S1: there is no God. Uh, Trisha is reminding me that, uh, pride,
S1: the five I wills in Isaiah 14 is what brought
S1: Satan down. Certainly, pride leads to rebellion. We put ourselves
S1: in the place of God. But, you know, I kind
S1: of think idolatry is a little, uh, you know, they're
S1: all serious sins. I'm not saying pride isn't a serious sin.
S1: I'm not sure I can link which one is worse.
S1: I don't know of a verse, you know, when you
S1: think of the really deadly sins in in the book
S1: of Proverbs? Uh, four of them have to do with speech, uh,
S1: slander and and things like that. So we have to
S1: control our speech. I think I would just say pride
S1: is a pretty serious sin, but, um, I'm not sure
S1: I would say it's the greatest sin. How's that?
S3: Can I, can I?
S1: It's one of the. Let me just say it's one
S1: of the big ones. That's what I think. So. Okay.
S3: Got it. So just can I follow up with that?
S3: In terms of ranking, sin is all sin created is
S3: also equal. Or is one sin greater than another?
S1: Oh, there there are worse sins. And, uh, and there
S1: are also greater virtues. Uh, think about it. They asked
S1: the Lord Jesus, what's the greatest commandment? He said, love
S1: the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might,
S1: mind and your neighbor as yourself. These are the two
S1: greatest commandments. So there's if there's greater commandments, then there's certainly, uh,
S1: lesser commandments. Uh, the Lord Jesus mentioned in Matthew 23 that, uh,
S1: that they were tithing mint and cumin, but ignoring the
S1: weightier matters of the law so that there's weightier matters.
S1: It says in, uh. Uh, I'm trying to think, uh,
S1: that in terms of virtues, uh, these three things abide faith, hope,
S1: and love. But the greatest of these is love. So
S1: that's there. And then there's, uh, the verse, for example,
S1: in John 19 when, uh, pilot, pilot says, uh, the
S1: one the Lord Jesus says to Pilate, the one who
S1: delivered me up to you has the greater sin. So
S1: even though you know, the high priest had a serious sin,
S1: and Pilate had a terrible sin of of having to
S1: judge the Messiah. What was the greater sin? It was
S1: the greater sin of the high priest, who should have
S1: known better because of having had the scriptures. He should
S1: have been able to recognize what a serious thing that was.
S1: So there is a greater sin that way. So I
S1: think that the scriptures really do have, uh, uh, greater
S1: virtues and lesser virtues, and there's worse sins and lesser sins. Now,
S1: some people cite the verse in James where it says
S1: that if you offend in one place the law, uh, uh,
S1: that you've offended in them all. And I think that's,
S1: that's only saying that if if we offend, if we
S1: sin in one area, that's sufficient to separate us from God.
S1: It's not saying that all sins are the same. Uh,
S1: for example, uh uh, I'll just, uh, in terms of, uh,
S1: the Lord Jesus says it is a sin to, uh,
S1: look with lust at another person. Right, but that is
S1: certainly not as serious a sin as breaking one's marriage vows. Uh, so,
S1: you know, I just want to be really clear that
S1: there are sins that are serious and there's even sins
S1: that are more serious than that. So does that help, Catherine?
S3: Yeah. Thank you for clarifying, I appreciate it.
S1: But all sin, even just one the littlest sin, it's
S1: still separates us from God. And so that's why we
S1: need we need the Messiah's redemption. And not only that. Uh,
S1: but when we as followers of Jesus sin, we still
S1: need to confess that and agree with him and have
S1: our fellowship restored, not our salvation. Obviously, we're all our
S1: sins are forgiven. Past, present, future. No condemnation for those
S1: who are in Messiah. But our fellowship, according to first
S1: John one nine, is restored when we confess sin. Okay, Catherine.
S3: Perfect. Thank you so much.
S1: Yeah, thanks for your call. Really appreciate it. Uh, we're
S1: going to speak with George in Cleveland, Ohio, listening on Wtxf,
S1: one of my favorite stations. Hey, George, how can I
S1: help you?
S4: Uh, doctor, I was wondering about the Romans 1220 coals
S4: of fire. I can't find any commentary that gives it
S4: a clear answer.
S1: Really? Have you looked at the Moody Bible commentary?
S4: I'm sorry, I don't have that copy.
S1: Oh, well, let me just tell you. The Romans commentary
S1: in the Moody Bible commentary is really strong. George. It's
S1: a great commentary written by Michael Van Landingham, my co-editor
S1: on that work. And I think that's a book that
S1: you need. So you hang on. I'm going to have
S1: Tricia get your name and address and send you a
S1: copy of the Moody Bible Commentary. And if you're listening
S1: and like George, look at a verse like Romans 1220
S1: and think, I'd like to know what that means. Well,
S1: the Moody Bible Commentary, written by 30 faculty members of
S1: Moody Bible Institute, and I had the great privilege of
S1: editing it with Mike Van Laningham. We were co-editors together. Uh,
S1: it was, uh, it was just a great, great experience
S1: in my life. Although it took forever, six years or
S1: a little bit more. But I'm really grateful we did it.
S1: Learned a ton. And, uh, I just think that if
S1: you'd like one, just check out, uh, your favorite online
S1: bookseller or go to your local Christian bookstore. I actually
S1: saw one at a at a secular bookstore just this
S1: week when I was doing some shopping. So I saw
S1: it posted there, uh, on the shelf. So that was
S1: pretty cool. Uh, okay. Let me answer your question about
S1: Romans 1220. Uh, it says friends, do not avenge yourselves. Instead,
S1: leave room for his wrath. For it is written, vengeance
S1: belongs to me. I will repay, says the Lord. But
S1: if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty,
S1: give him something to drink, for in so doing you
S1: will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Now some
S1: people want to say that you're the fiery coals has
S1: something to do with kindness of God. I don't think so.
S1: I think the context there is saying is that we
S1: should not try to avenge ourselves against people who hurt us.
S1: Personal vengeance is not appropriate for a follower of Jesus.
S1: And the interesting thing about that is that he quotes
S1: the Old Testament about that. Uh, so for example, Proverbs
S1: 2521 and 22, uh, are the the actual if your
S1: enemy is hungry, that's what he's quoting there. And the
S1: reason I want to point that out is that people
S1: often think that the Old Testament is full of vengeance,
S1: and the New Testament isn't. But that's a verse from
S1: the Old Testament that Paul is quoting and teaching the
S1: same principle. We shouldn't be involved in personal vengeance. So
S1: what do we do when there's someone that's been unkind?
S1: Someone that's an enemy. Someone that's hurt us. What we
S1: do is we provide every kindness we can for them.
S1: That's what we're supposed to do. And in so doing,
S1: we're heaping fiery coals on his head. What that means
S1: is we're leaving the vengeance to God and not taking
S1: it ourselves. We're not. We're not the ones, uh, bringing
S1: fiery coals on that person's head. Rather, we're trusting God
S1: to bring whatever judgment and justice needs to be brought. Now,
S1: the truth of it is, if we're kind, if we
S1: are not, uh, vengeful, sometimes what that does, it brings
S1: repentance on the part of that enemy. And when that happens,
S1: there is no fiery call from the Lord. It's just reconciliation.
S1: And that's really a lovely experience. But that's leaving vengeance
S1: in the hands of God. We're going to come back
S1: in just a moment with Tricia McMillan. She's got the
S1: mailbag ready for us, and we'll be talking about the
S1: questions you've sent in in just a moment. This is
S1: Michael Ray Dolnick, and this is Open Line. And we're back.
S1: I am so glad to see Tricia dragging in the mailbag,
S1: because you have sent a lot of questions in, and
S1: I'm always happy to answer them. The way to do
S1: that is go to our website, openline. radio.org. That's the
S1: place to check out everything from Open Line, but there's
S1: a link there that says Ask Michael a question. That's
S1: the best place to put your question. If you want
S1: to send it in, just click on that link, put
S1: your fill out the form, put in your question, and
S1: Trish will put it in the mailbag. So Tricia busy
S1: week has it been.
S5: It has been. Yes. Yeah.
S1: Yeah I we went we were on uh the favorite
S1: show this week Chris Fabry live. And uh, Mike V
S1: kind of couldn't come at the last second. He had
S1: something that popped up, not a health issue, but he
S1: couldn't be there. So I brought my favorite Bible answerer. Uh, Eva.
S1: And it was fun to see you.
S5: It was fun to see you two and Eva. Of course. Yeah.
S1: I saw how happy you were to see Eva. And
S1: I'm not jealous. Everyone does that when they see her.
S1: But I see.
S5: I see you every week. I don't see her every week.
S1: That's right. That was pretty cool. So anyway, a lot
S1: of people have sent in questions. What what can we do?
S5: All right. Well, our first question is from David in Florida,
S5: listens on the Moody Radio app. I understand that all people,
S5: including those in the Old Testament, are saved by grace
S5: through faith. Does that mean that Old Testament people had
S5: to believe in the future Messiah to be saved, or
S5: was it just faith in God the Father?
S1: Well, I think that the best thing to say is
S1: that all people are saved by grace through faith in
S1: the revealed will of God. Okay. And so the revealed
S1: will of God. What did we have? In the Old Testament?
S1: God called upon people to offer sacrifices and believe that
S1: those sacrifices would bring reconciliation with God. Forgiveness of sins.
S1: Now we know that they didn't. They just were sort
S1: of placeholders pointing forward to the Messiah. but that's something.
S1: And one of the things we see in the progressive
S1: revelation of Scripture, it begins really with the Pentateuch, which
S1: Moses wrote in 1400 BC. But the earliest books that
S1: in Jobe Jobe may have been written a little bit
S1: earlier than the Pentateuch or the Torah or the Five
S1: Books of Moses, but they have references to the future Messiah.
S1: So it seems to me, I don't know what other
S1: revelation apart from Scripture was given for the revealed will
S1: of God. You know, there's there is revelation given to
S1: people like Abraham and people like Adam and Eve, you know,
S1: but we don't know what that revelation was. We only
S1: have the revelation that was in Scripture. But in Scripture
S1: we see that they all these books point forward to
S1: the Messiah. So it seems to me that there was
S1: an expectation that that people would offer the sacrifices and
S1: believe in the coming Messiah. And I think that's that's
S1: what was expected that God intended people to believe in
S1: order to be saved.
S5: Okay. All right. Thank you for that question, David. Um,
S5: James emailed us and said I was recently having a
S5: discussion with a friend about the problem or issue of
S5: a person who thinks he thinks that he is saved
S5: but is not. New believers are trained to learn assurance
S5: scriptures such as first John 513 which says, I have
S5: written these things to you who believe in the name
S5: of the Son of God, so that you may know
S5: that you have eternal life. What if you have been
S5: taught that verse, but you have a but it makes
S5: you have a false confidence because you haven't actually trusted
S5: and put your faith in following Jesus? So how do
S5: you truly know that you are saved?
S1: Uh, well, I think you'd have to, uh, really examine
S1: your faith. Uh, and so it says in Second Corinthians
S1: 13 five, Paul warns the Corinthians. Now, the Corinthians were
S1: kind of, uh, um, how do I put it? Uh,
S1: difficult people, they had some struggles with obedience. And in
S1: Second Corinthians 13 five, Paul says to them, examine yourselves
S1: to see if you're in the faith. He's saying, examine
S1: your very faith. Just see if it's genuine. So what
S1: makes genuine faith? Uh, because that's what what first, John
S1: 513 is about these things I've written to you who believe,
S1: who have faith, uh, to see, uh, to know that
S1: you are forgiven. These things I've written to you, uh,
S1: who have faith. That's what first John 513 is about, uh,
S1: who have believed. Let me read the verse. Exactly. And
S1: I think that is a great verse to show people.
S1: But one of the things that I often do is
S1: try and help people understand what genuine faith is. I've
S1: written these things to you who believe in the name
S1: of the Son of God, so that you may know
S1: that you have eternal life. Those of you who believe,
S1: what does it mean to believe? Well, I've often thought
S1: that a lot of us take a superficial view of
S1: what it means to believe in Scripture. We have to
S1: believe with our whole being, with our whole person, mind, heart, will.
S1: So the mind is we have to know certain facts.
S1: We have to know that Jesus is the Messiah, the
S1: Son of God, that he died for our sins, that
S1: he rose again. Uh, we have to believe that intellectually
S1: know it and assent to those facts. Then there has
S1: to be heart. There has to be a conviction of, uh,
S1: of the truth of it, that this is not just
S1: some intellectual facts that I believe from the past. But
S1: this is true for me. That's heart. And then there's
S1: will a dependence on it. I am going to choose
S1: right now to depend on these facts that I am
S1: convinced are true. So mind heart will, uh, the the
S1: illustration that I like to use about that is the
S1: lifeboats on the Titanic. Okay. There were some people on
S1: the Titanic who didn't even know there were lifeboats. So
S1: when that when it hit that iceberg, they just stayed
S1: in their cabins and and perished. Uh, they didn't even
S1: know there were lifeboats. Then there were other people who
S1: had intellect. They knew the facts. They knew there were lifeboats.
S1: But they looked out at the dark North Atlantic and said,
S1: these little bitty boats are not going to save me. Um,
S1: and and they didn't have a conviction. They knew about
S1: the fact of them. They just didn't have any conviction
S1: of the truth that they were lifeboats. Didn't think they
S1: could save them, so they didn't get in the boat.
S1: So there's, uh, mind. They had the intellect, but they
S1: didn't have the heart. They didn't weren't convinced of it.
S1: And then there were some people who knew about it,
S1: and they knew those lifeboats could save them. But, for example,
S1: women and children first, some women might have looked at
S1: that and said, I don't want to leave my husband
S1: here on this boat to perish. I don't want to
S1: live with him without him. And so though they knew
S1: about the lifeboats, though, they were convinced those lifeboats could
S1: save them, they chose, by an act of the will
S1: not to get in the lifeboat, um, to depend on it. And.
S1: But then there were some people who knew about him,
S1: were convinced they would save him and chose to get
S1: in the lifeboat, and those were the ones that were saved.
S1: And that's what real faith is. So when I tell
S1: someone to examine themselves to see if they're in the faith.
S1: I ask them, do you know the facts that we're
S1: to believe? Are you convinced they're true? And have you
S1: put your trust in them? Are you committed to. Those.
S1: Because if you do, it will change your life.
S5: Where where is the role or is there a role
S5: for feelings in this? Like I often, you know, there's
S5: there's heightened emotions when when you've had that conviction of
S5: sin or making that choice because then you feel free. Um,
S5: like you have this, I don't know, there's this release, um, emotionally,
S5: where where does that fit into this or does it.
S1: Well, I think it does. There is a that's what
S1: I think the heart is the conviction of its truth.
S1: But there are some people that have that, and they
S1: think they've put their trust in Jesus. But when the
S1: real test that shows whether they have is when persecution comes,
S1: when difficulties come and they say, oh, this is the
S1: one that I expected. And they, they jumped ship. Uh,
S1: that's kind of a bad metaphor. After what? After the.
S5: Titanic.
S1: Example. Yeah. Right.
S5: But so they get into the boat, but then jump out. No,
S5: that wouldn't quite work. No, but.
S1: That's not.
S5: What the analogy breaks down. Right. Yeah.
S1: But what I mean by that is, like it says in, uh,
S1: in Matthew 13 where you have the parable of the sower. Uh,
S1: the parable. Parable. It's actually a parable of the soils,
S1: the different kinds of soils. Mhm. And, uh, I'm having
S1: trouble with my pages here. Here we go. You hear
S1: those pages turning?
S5: Yes. It's a good sound.
S1: Yeah, I like that sound. Uh, then it says when
S1: he when he gives the explanation of the parable of
S1: the sower, he says, uh uh, this is the one
S1: who hears and the one who's sown along the path
S1: and the one sown on rocky ground. This is one
S1: who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.
S1: That's emotion. Yet, uh, he has no root in himself,
S1: but is short lived when pressure or persecution comes because
S1: of the word. Immediately he stumbles. I think that's a
S1: person who has a mind and heart. But no, Will
S1: hasn't really put there. They may have the emotion, but
S1: they haven't put their confidence in the Lord no matter what.
S1: I think that's the the trust. It's getting in that lifeboat.
S1: No matter how you feel. Once you're in the lifeboat,
S1: I'm in here. That's the person that really is saved. Okay,
S1: so I think there's a place of emotion. I remember
S1: a girl once said she was. We saw this person
S1: who gave his testimony about abandoning the faith at a
S1: rally for people trying to convince them not to believe.
S1: Believe it or not. Okay. Yeah. It was it was
S1: like the.
S5: Reverse of what you would.
S1: An evangelistic.
S5: Rally.
S1: Okay. It was a it was at a Jewish community center,
S1: and they were trying to convince Jewish kids not to.
S1: Jewish young people not to believe in Jesus. And they
S1: had the testimony of this guy who abandoned the faith
S1: after believing. And when he told the story of of
S1: how he came to faith, he didn't have the content.
S1: Really accurate. But he there was a big emotional feeling
S1: at a concert and he ran forward okay with the music,
S1: but he really didn't really count and understand that this
S1: is for life. You know, this is this is for it.
S1: And she said, uh, this this young woman who was
S1: there listening to this, she looked at me and she says,
S1: that guy didn't know the Lord. I said, no, I
S1: don't think so. She said it was a fire drill.
S1: And he ran forward. That's. And I thought, yeah, she
S1: got it. He didn't understand what he was doing when
S1: when he ran forward. And mind, heart and determination will decision. Volition.
S1: That's who I'm following. We're going to take a break
S1: right now. And, uh, when we come back, we'll take
S1: more of your calls. (877) 548-3675. But I thank you, Tricia,
S1: for putting the mailbag together. Sure thing. I you can
S1: send your questions by going to michael-ray, uh, open Line
S1: radio.org and ask Michael a question, and you can put
S1: your question in there. Trish will put it in the bag.
S1: We'll be right back. Don't go away with more questions
S1: coming up straight ahead. Some claim Paul is the key
S1: person who took the message of the Jewish Messiah. Jesus
S1: made it into something Gentile. But Paul is also the
S1: one who wrote, brethren, my heart's desire for Israel is
S1: for their salvation. Romans ten one chosen people ministries. One
S1: of our underwriters wants us all to learn what drove
S1: Paul's passion for his own people. They're offering the book
S1: The Heart of the Apostle by Rich Freeman, free to
S1: all open line listeners. To get this exposition of Romans
S1: nine through 11, just go to our website, openline radio.org.
S1: Scroll down to the link that says A free gift
S1: from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and you'll be
S1: taken to a page where you can sign up for
S1: your very own free copy of The Heart of the Apostle.
S1: Welcome back. I'm Michael Ray Dolnick. This is open line
S1: on Moody Radio. We're going to go right back to
S1: the phones for our Bible study. This is Craig from
S1: Minnesota listening on Ktgg. Welcome to Open Line. Craig. How
S1: can I help you?
S6: Thank you. I'm in my 80s and I can remember
S6: pastors with big charts for End Times. I recall we
S6: were taught that the Armageddon was the final war. Well,
S6: then I found out about the war after the millennium.
S6: Then you go to Ezekiel 38, and it appears that
S6: there is a future war that takes seven years to
S6: recover from. Where does that fit in?
S1: It's called the war of Gog and Magog. And it's
S1: interesting because the one in revelation, in revelation 20 is
S1: also called the War of Gog and Magog, but that
S1: takes place after the messianic kingdom, after the thousand year
S1: reign of Jesus. And so I want you to know
S1: some a bunch of respected Bible teachers take different views
S1: of when the Ezekiel 38 war takes place. Uh, for example,
S1: the professor that I was an assistant for at Dallas
S1: Seminary thought that the Ezekiel 38 war took place after
S1: the Millennial Kingdom, that it was the same as the
S1: one in the book of revelation. The problem with that
S1: is just the same that you could think of is that, uh,
S1: then the the recovery from it would go on into
S1: the new creation. So that's that's even. Yeah, that's kind
S1: of problematic. And then, uh, a friend of mine, uh,
S1: who's a really well respected prophetic teacher in his book
S1: called The Footsteps of the Messiah, Arnold Fruchtenbaum has written
S1: that he believes it's a Pre-tribulational event because of the
S1: seven years that it needs time to recover. So he
S1: said it's going to happen some time before the rapture. Uh,
S1: and then, uh, doctor Walvoord Charles Dyer, people I have
S1: tremendous regard and respect for. They say it takes place
S1: sometime just before the middle of the tribulation, and that
S1: the recovery of the burning of the the weapons and
S1: things like that will take place into the millennium that
S1: that just will go on for a couple of years
S1: into the millennium. But they put it somewhere in the middle. Uh,
S1: and then, of course, Doctor Charles Feinberg, who was a
S1: great prophetic scholar, a great expert on the book of Ezekiel,
S1: wrote a commentary for Moody Publishers on Ezekiel many years ago. Uh,
S1: he said that it was that war in Ezekiel 38
S1: was comparable to the war. The the campaign of Armageddon. Uh,
S1: so which is it? You know, I used to joke
S1: around that some thinking people think this and some thinking
S1: people think that. And me, I'm for the thinking people, but, uh,
S1: I'm not. I wouldn't, uh, I'm not going to make
S1: a chart of this. I'm not going to, uh, in
S1: a sense, uh, go to the mat for this one.
S1: But I kind of agree with Charlie. That's where I
S1: think I would land with Charlie Dyer, who is our
S1: host now of the land of the book. You probably
S1: have listened to that, Craig, but, uh, yeah, I think
S1: it's somewhere in the middle, just before the middle of
S1: the tribulation. And it's that defeat of those enemies. There's
S1: a number of reasons. One, Israel's, uh, living securely when
S1: this event takes place. And that makes sense to me
S1: that the future false messiah, the Prince who is to come,
S1: the Antichrist, is going to make a treaty with Israel
S1: and it will bring peace. And so that's why I
S1: think Israel needs to be at peace when this happens.
S1: And then the invasion happens. And that's what enables the
S1: future false Messiah with with God intervening on Israel's behalf
S1: to break his covenant with Israel, his covenant of peace,
S1: that he has made his security covenant. And so that's
S1: why I would put it somewhere just before the middle
S1: of the tribulation. Okay.
S6: Right. But it is distinct from Armageddon.
S1: I think so, but Doctor Feinberg didn't. But I think so,
S1: and I'm a little embarrassed to ever disagree with Charles Feinberg,
S1: but I, I do.
S6: I think. Well, the interesting thing with revelation, God tells
S6: us that there are things that we will not know.
S7: Yeah.
S1: Listen, I, I the more I answer questions on the radio,
S1: the more things I don't know become clear to me.
S1: So yeah, that is not clear that I know him,
S1: but clear that I don't know them. You know, and
S1: particularly with end time prophecy, I think we have the
S1: broad outline of it. But just like.
S6: I think that's correct.
S1: Yeah, we have the broad outline, but I wouldn't, uh,
S1: I wouldn't, uh, be certain that that I know every
S1: detail or that I know how it will look. It
S1: reminds me of when Elisha made that prophecy in Second
S1: Kings 7 or 8 and said, uh, that the, the,
S1: the famine will be lifted. But he told the king, steward,
S1: you won't, uh, you won't benefit from it. You'll see it,
S1: but won't benefit from it. And then the prophecy is fulfilled, literally.
S1: But the king's steward would have never guessed that. It
S1: would mean that the Aramean army would flee, and the
S1: and the, uh, those with skin disease would find the
S1: food and bring it to the city of Samaria, that
S1: everyone would have thought something different. But it was fulfilled literally.
S1: And I think that's how end time events will be.
S1: They'll be fulfilled literally. But we're going to be surprised
S1: if we were around to see how it is. But
S1: the broad outline, I think it's true. Anyway, that's the
S1: first hour, everyone. The second hour of open lines coming
S1: up on most of these stations. Check out our web page,
S1: Open Line radio.org. It's got a link there if you
S1: want to listen, if your station doesn't carry it, or
S1: you can listen to past programs or other kinds of
S1: links that will you'll find helpful there, like our current
S1: resource and how to become a kitchen table partner. The
S1: Bible study across America will continue in the second hour,
S1: so stay with us. Open line with Doctor Michael Ray
S1: Dolnick is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of
S1: Moody Bible Institute. We'll be right back.